Austin Energy to Add Hundreds More EV Charging Ports Over Next Five Years

Austin will add a mix of higher speed and lower speed chargers, because some EVs can only connect to the lower speed version (image via Getty Images)

As Austin Energy inches closer and closer to its goal of being carbon-free by 2035, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett is kicking off 2025 with an effort to support that plan. Last Tuesday, Doggett announced $15 million in federal funding for AE to install new publicly accessible electric vehicle charging ports. The funding comes from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and will be used to power the install over the next five years. “Austin is on an electrifying path to limit our dependency on gas-guzzling vehicles that pollute the air we breathe and contribute to the climate crisis we can feel,” Doggett wrote last week.

Austin’s proximity to the Tesla Gigafactory coupled with the nationwide EV boom alone would be enough to warrant this investment, but there’s another incentive: Austin’s Climate Equity Plan stipulates that by 2030, 40% of the city’s total vehicle miles should be electrified, translating to more than 37,000 charging ports needed. Austin Energy currently operates around 1,500 Level 2 charging ports as well as 30 DC fast chargers in the Austin area – the new funding will double the number of fast chargers and add a total of over 200 new ports altogether.

Fast chargers charge an EV more than 10 times quicker than Level 2 chargers, meaning they can serve more than 10 times the vehicle miles traveled and get AE toward its climate goals more efficiently. Level 2 chargers can charge an EV to 80% from empty in 4-10 hours, while DCFCs can do the same in 20 minutes to an hour. However, most EVs on the market do not work with fast chargers, according to the Department of Transportation, so the Climate Equity Plan urges an “equitable mix” of charger types.

AE plans to prioritize installing ports on publicly owned land in historically underserved areas, for example in community centers, public schools, libraries, and parks in lower-income areas, according to the Climate Equity Plan.

Mayor Kirk Watson called it a “game-changer for Austin’s transition to an electrified transportation system” in a press release, saying, “Austin has already established itself as a leader in electric vehicle adoption, and this investment in charging infrastructure will ensure our city remains at the forefront of clean transportation innovation.”